(Original post by Ar5enal Fan) Try reading through a few posts or maybe even looking at the forum this was posted on before replying.

Does this apply to all years? Even the first year? It doesn't matter because 40% is a pass anyway and the first year isn't recorded but they haven't told us anything about this.

Yup, it applies to every year. Basically, you need to pass all your modules (or most of them) to get an Honours degree, which is why you are able to resit them, but for each individual module you only have one chance of getting above a third. Therefore, people who fail second and third year modules the first time round not only have to resit them but it's significantly harder for them to get a 1st/2:1 overall.

However this is counterbalanced by the fact that your overall degree classification is heavily weighted towards your final year (in Cardiff it's 30% second year, 70% third year for three year degrees), so a failed module in any year that isn't your last isn't a disaster as long as you are able to pass it the second time round.

For re-sit exams taken before this year, a resit penalty was normally applied: if you passed a retake module, you were only awarded the average between a bare pass (40%) and the mark obtained (so e.g. 60% would become 50%).

However, this has now been dropped (for re-sits taken this year and later): so if you pass a re-sit exam this year, you will get the full mark.

For this year or previous re-sits, if you fail twice, the higher of the two fail marks is taken.

For re-sit exams taken before this year, a resit penalty was normally applied: if you passed a retake module, you were only awarded the average between a bare pass (40%) and the mark obtained (so e.g. 60% would become 50%).

However, this has now been dropped (for re-sits taken this year and later): so if you pass a re-sit exam this year, you will get the full mark.

For this year or previous re-sits, if you fail twice, the higher of the two fail marks is taken.

(Original post by RightSaidJames)
Then what happens if you fail part of your course?

One of two options.
1: "Degrading"
2: Being "sent down"

Degrading means returning the following year having switched to a different subject.
You can degrade from your own subject and start the same year over again, but in order to do that you have to have not written its exams. The statutes forbid you ever sitting the same Tripos exam twice. So when people are allowed (subject to discretion of their college) to 'degrade' from a subject they failed, this always means transferring to an entirely new degree. Often college will encourage them to find something generally perceived as easier. For instance, a mathmo might degrade to engineering or architecture. A Philosopher might degrade to SPS... I guess we (SPS) would degrade to Land Economy

Being 'sent down' means being kicked out of the University by your college. This doesn't happen very often, but a college might choose to send you down instead of allowing you to degrade if its clear that you seemed to have no will to have a serious attempt at covering all of your work, or if it was evident that you simply couldn't cope with the volume of work under such time pressure (which is a common factor to all of the courses here)

(Original post by River85) What if the student has mitigating circumstances eg. significant illness?

The rule about never sitting a Tripos exam twice applies equally to all. If somebody has severe illness it is likely that college will simply let them degrade several times. Often these people end up leaving and going home to recover before sitting the exams... or are advised to consider leaving before the exams if it seems likely they'll screw them up. If they do sit them and screw them up then sometimes they can be given a DDH on their result, which is 'Deemed to Deserve Honours' - although I think this only applies for finalists. Earlier in the degree if you badly screw up and were ill, the college might let you carry on to the next year despite failing as long as you show evidence (eg some of your supervision essays given to your supervisor throughout the year) that you actually are on top of things. I'm not sure about this point actually. Reason is I think even hugely ill people practically never fail. They get thirds, which is still a pass, so I don't think its something that college has to deal with particularly frequently.

Nottingham's the same. Say you got 38% first time round, resat and got 65% then you do not get 40% on your transcript, you get the 38%. So, your first mark stays on the transcript but you have to sit it and pass i.e. above 40% in order to be able to progress.

Under extentuating circumstances, you can sit the resit paper and it be your first mark.

What do you mean by resits though? Some universities have resit papers at the end of the summer after your exams, so that you can have a second chance at progression into year 2/3. UCL doesn't do this. Instead they have "referrals" where you do some written work and take an oral examination. For referrals you cannot score above the bare pass grade (40%).

(Original post by RightSaidJames)
Yup, it applies to every year. Basically, you need to pass all your modules (or most of them) to get an Honours degree, which is why you are able to resit them, but for each individual module you only have one chance of getting above a third. Therefore, people who fail second and third year modules the first time round not only have to resit them but it's significantly harder for them to get a 1st/2:1 overall.

However this is counterbalanced by the fact that your overall degree classification is heavily weighted towards your final year (in Cardiff it's 30% second year, 70% third year for three year degrees), so a failed module in any year that isn't your last isn't a disaster as long as you are able to pass it the second time round.

Thanks They haven't told us anything about this yet though, but seeing as the 1st year result aren't recorded we'll probably be told next year. For my course the 2nd and 3rd years are weighted 50:50 though so I guess next year I have to do really well first time round for all the exams then

For re-sit exams taken before this year, a resit penalty was normally applied: if you passed a retake module, you were only awarded the average between a bare pass (40%) and the mark obtained (so e.g. 60% would become 50%).

However, this has now been dropped (for re-sits taken this year and later): so if you pass a re-sit exam this year, you will get the full mark.

For this year or previous re-sits, if you fail twice, the higher of the two fail marks is taken.

However, if you fail more than one module you fail overall anyway.

I love that way of doing things, it seems so much fairer than just straight off capping...

(Original post by Ewan)
What do you mean by resits though? Some universities have resit papers at the end of the summer after your exams, so that you can have a second chance at progression into year 2/3. UCL doesn't do this. Instead they have "referrals" where you do some written work and take an oral examination. For referrals you cannot score above the bare pass grade (40%).

Resits are taken the following year, and are not capped.

By resits we mean the ones that are done in the summer. Generally, if someone takes the exams the following year, they've often resat the entire year or worked out some sort of weird arrangement whereby they do both the first year and the second year at the same time. Generally the former.